I'm so glad that you have found my blog. Its main purpose is to provide items of interest to orthodox Anglicans who love the Gospel of Jesus, believe the Catholic Faith, yearn for the Church's unity and work for the evangelisation of the world. God bless you.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

I am so thankful for times of prayer that lift the heart and soul; times of spiritual refreshing; times of experiencing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as a real and powerful anointing; times when the healing balm of the Lord's presence brings joy, comfort and strength. We can have those experiences when we are deeply moved in worship with our church family; and also when we are alone in prayer. Unlike some mean-spirited religious people, I want to tell you that such blessings are a gift from God. My advice to you if you find yourself in a time of refreshing is to linger, allow the Lord to minister to you, and - yes - ENJOY!

Just because we know that there are desert patches through which we will have to trudge doesn't mean that we should feel guilty or immature during times of blessing. It is precisely BECAUSE of the stretch of desert ahead that the Lord will bring us to an oasis for a time. We should drink. We should rest. We should make the most of it. We should thank the Lord for it and intentionally use the blessings of the oasis to prepare ourselves for whatever drought-stricken wasteland lies ahead. That's just the rhythm of life; and it's the rhythm of the spiritual life, too.

The other side of this truth, of course, is that we shouldn't give up praying just because we find it difficult to pray. We know from their writings that most of the great Saints and spiritual guides down through the centuries experienced times of struggle and frustration in prayer. From their lives we learn that whatever physical, emotional, intellectual or spiritual blockages might get in the way, God’s love can - and will - win through. Our part is to persevere, especially in times of spiritual dryness.

That's one of the reasons we should have someone - a priest, a pastor, a religious sister or brother, or a lay person who is a little bit further down the track than we are - who can help us try to understand what God is doing in our life. (Even when prayer is NOT difficult, it is still a good idea to have someone like that - a "spiritual guide.")

One of the best "no-nonsence" paragraphs about prayer, in relation to what I have just said, is this passage from the RULE FOR A NEW BROTHER by a Dutch Blessed Sacrament Father, published by Darton, Longman & Todd in 1973: